


Deus ex tabularium

by spiderine



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Community: writerinadrawer, WriterInADrawer 4.05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-08
Updated: 2010-07-08
Packaged: 2017-10-10 11:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/99121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiderine/pseuds/spiderine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is part of a short-duration writing contest.  Please do not comment on this story, positively or negatively, until this notice is removed.  If you are interested in this contest please visit http://community.livejournal.com/writerinadrawer.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Deus ex tabularium

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of a short-duration writing contest. Please do not comment on this story, positively or negatively, until this notice is removed. If you are interested in this contest please visit http://community.livejournal.com/writerinadrawer.

Four weeks after Enid was born, Gwen Cooper was diagnosed with postpartum depression. She told her doctor that she'd lost friends to the alien virus and it had nothing to do with _post bloody partum_.

The doctor replied, "I could prescribe antidepressants, but you'd have to stop breastfeeding." Gwen shook her head and clutched Enid close to her heart.

Six weeks after Enid was born, Rhys plunked his fork on the counter and, over the sizzle of frying fish, said, "You're going stir-crazy, love, and it's driving me mental. Go back to work."

"Work?" echoed Gwen. She burst into tears, Enid followed suit, and Rhys rushed to comfort them. The flat smelled of burnt fish for a week.

Seven weeks after Enid was born, Gwen called Martha Jones. "I know you're not with UNIT anymore," she said, "but can you get me information about what's left under the Plass?" Minutes later, Gwen received an encrypted e-mail containing classified reports showing sublevels of the Hub that were still accessible, which Gwen had suspected, and miles of secret tunnels, which was more than she'd hoped for.

Eight weeks after Enid was born, Gwen Cooper left a note for her husband and her baby with Marie next door and boarded a launch for Flat Holm. Armed with a torch and a backpack full of tools, it took her three hours of walking the tunnel until she was confronted with a reinforced door locked with a number pad.

Holding her breath, Gwen keyed in her access code. The door swung open, lights flickered on, and Gwen covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a sob. Rows of shelving stretched back into the darkness. A sign read _Archive Sublevel 20Hb14_. On a table sat an old-fashioned Bakelite telephone, but instead of a dial, it had several unlabelled buttons, each a different colour.

Gwen picked up the receiver, pushed a button at random and heard a voice so familiar it was like a punch in the gut.

"Mainframe access. Can I help you?"

"Tosh?" Gwen whispered. Her hands shook. She sat on the concrete floor with a thud.

"Hello, Gwen," said Tosh's voice. "You sound sad. Is there something wrong?"

"Is that really you?" Her voice was shaking too.

"Toshiko Sato has been Saved," said Tosh. There was a momentary pause. "Am I dead?"

Gwen whispered, "Yes." She took a deep breath and asked, "Where are you?"

"I don't know." Tosh's voice sounded cheerful and only vaguely concerned, but not computerised at all. "There's an awful lot of data here. It's nice. I feel very big."

Gwen laughed, which was weird, because she could feel tears running down her cheeks. "Okay, Mainframe still works, then? Have the archives survived?"

"Accessing archives," Tosh said perkily. There was a brief hum.

"Ianto Jones has been Saved. Hello, Gwen," said Ianto's voice. "Tosh said you're sad. I can turn on the coffeemaker if you like."

Nine weeks after Enid was born, Torchwood Three began to rebuild.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of a short-duration writing contest. Please do not comment on this story, positively or negatively, until this notice is removed. If you are interested in this contest please visit http://community.livejournal.com/writerinadrawer.


End file.
